


But remember when I moved in you

by Cheesecloth



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Gen, I might never be able to process through the grief and pain this show puts us through, Not sure if this is helping me address anything but writing is a great form of therapy, Still love this show though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 22:43:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21381808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheesecloth/pseuds/Cheesecloth
Summary: “No! This isn’t- this isn’t right. She saw Nige- my sister-““No, they saw Joe. Same build, facial similarities. Bald head under hat. They thought they saw nice but they saw Joe.”--Aka the scene that Detective Hardy tells Ellie Miller that Joe killed Beth Latimer's son.
Relationships: Ellie Miller & Joe Miller (Broadchurch)
Kudos: 15





	But remember when I moved in you

**Author's Note:**

> title is unrelated, just working through the lyrics of Hallelujah backwards, sorry

Her world shattered in just the pinprick of a moment. 

“It was Joe.” 

She should have seen something utterly unimaginable coming when Detective Hardy, hard-ass and terribly awkward man as he was, carefully sat himself beside Ellie, eyes sadder than she’d ever seen, and voice soft with care. 

“Joe killed Danny Latimer.” He continued quietly, and no, Ellie couldn’t believe it. 

She couldn’t! 

Her husband, her _loving _husband of so many- no! What reason would Joe even have to _kill_ her best friend’s child? The child that lived just across the road from them? The happy little paper boy who was like any other eleven year old. He was such a good boy! He was so alive! How could Joe- how _could_ Joe possibly be the one to lay that poor boy’s body on the sand, splayed to the elements, and cold with lifelessness? 

“No! What the fuck?” She turned towards Hardy, and refused. It was unthinkable. “No, he didn’t!- He didn’t…” 

“We have him in custody.” 

The boy’s body was still on the beach in Ellie’s mind. Nothing could erase it. It was like a horror film played on repeat and she was tied in a chair, angled towards the screen, unable to look away. It haunted her from the moment she saw the boy. She didn’t even have to know it was Danny, for it to plague her nightmares and dreams. How could Joe? He showed no sign? He was normal as he ever was, since the day the police found Danny’s body. 

Ellie was torn to pieces even considering it. It couldn’t be Joe- It_ couldn’t_ be Joe! Her mind was swirling with Danny’s body and Joe’s smile and Joe’s warmth and Joe’s loving embrace and-

She sprung from her chair, backing into the corner to find some stability in her suddenly lost world. But it wasn’t enough. Before she could even brace against the wall, the world was spinning and her stomach turned sour. She was heaving. Something was coming up her throat, and she tried to keep it down. 

Hardy tried to comfort her with a gentle touch to her shoulder. “It’s alright,” he said, for nothing else came to mind. How could he possibly think those were the right words? Were there any right words at all? What the fuck sort of situation was this, where Joe killed Danny Latimer and left him on that beach-

She took a harrowing breath, and tried to sniff away the tears that threatened to cascade into a sob. 

“No! This isn’t- this isn’t right. She saw Nige- my sister-“ 

“No, they saw Joe. Same build, facial similarities. Bald head under hat. They thought they saw nice but they saw Joe.” 

She was braced against the wall now. If she hadn’t, she’d crumble further into the ground, unable to get up. The tears were streaming, and she couldn’t even move her arm to wipe them away. 

“No, it’s not Joe,” Ellie begged. “It’s not Joe!” It wasn’t like Joe at all, to kill a child. It could never be like Joe at all. Her voice broke. “It’s not Joe,” she pleaded once more. 

Hardy’s face didn’t break into a grin like she’d hoped. He didn’t say ‘haha, it’s a prank’. He’s not known for pranks. His face is serious and unrelenting. There’s no crack in his composure. He’s so sure of himself, but Ellie can’t be-

“Please,” she whimpered. “You’re wrong.” He must be. He must be wrong. 

Hardy shook his head once, still staring as truthfully as he could. Again, there was still no crack in his composure. “I’m not.” There was a small break to his soft voice. A grief hung to it. 

It was enough to break out the first sob in Ellie, but she held it back just as strongly. “I want to see him.” She was determined. She needed to know that Hardy was wrong. He had to be wrong. 

“I want to see him,” she repeated, finally feeling the strength begin to flow back. She lifted her arm and wiped away the snot. “I want to see him.” 

  
Hardy’s face broke. He was agape, probably mentally running through how it would break every protocol, but Ellie needed to see him. She needed to see Joe. 

She stood up and Hardy stood with her. “Are you sure?” He asked, thankfully willing to break those protocols for her- she would have smiled and teased him for being a soft pushover, but she didn’t think she could smile again. Joe’s innocent. But just imagining Danny’s body on the beach and the doubt that Hardy put into her head about her _own husband_… No. She was a positive woman. Nothing could crack her hope, but this did. This crushed her. But she was strong now. 

“You’re not right, I want to see him,” she assured herself. 

She almost sobbed again, for the sheer brokenhearted look on Hardy’s face. But he gave her an imperceptible nod. 

Ellie crossed her arms to hold herself together, and they walked out of the room together. The world felt numb. And in just a minute, it would grow colorless. 


End file.
